Group A

A 27-ball blitz from Shahid Afridi, scoring 84, powered Habib Bank Limited (HBL) to a five-wicket win over the Quetta Bears in Peshawar. Chasing 214, HBL were struggling at 76 for 4, but a 109-run stand between Afridi and Sulaman Qadir set up the win.Afridi did the bulk of the scoring, his runs coming at a strike-rate of over 300. Naseer Khan suffered the most, conceding 61 runs off 4.3 overs as Afridi blasted eight fours and seven sixes in his knock. Fifites from Shoaib Khan jnr and Nasim Khan, and an unbeaten 41-ball 46 from Faisal Irfan has helped Quetta Bears post 213, a score that was chased down in just 28.2 overs.In Islamabad, a century (109) by Umair Khan, and an unbroken 67-run stand for the seventh wicket between Naeem Anjum and Rauf Akbar sealed a four-wicket win for the Islamabad Leopards over the Peshawar Panthers, with ten balls to spare.The Panthers top order chipped in with useful scores as they posted 255, with Nawaz Ahmed top scoring with 56. However, they suffered a collapse going from 190 for 3 to 255 all out in 49.5 overs. Raheel Majeed did the bulk of the damage with his legbreaks, taking 4 for 47.Azhar Ali’s hundred and an all-round performance from Saeed Anwar jnr sealed a thumping 107-run win for Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) over the Lahore Lions in Rawalpindi.KRL chose to bat and their batsmen took full advantage. The openers added 98, with Anwar jnr going on to score 71. Bazid Khan scored a patient 45 while Azhar needed only 89 balls to score an unbeaten 106. Set a score of 289, the Lahore Lions lost wickets at regular intervals, and were bundled out for 181 in 37.2 overs. Anwar jnr finished with figures of 8-0-28-3.

Group B

At the Sheikhupura Stadium, the Hyderabad Hawks coasted to a comfortable seven-wicket win over the Multan Tigers.Opener Hammad Tariq top scored for the Tigers with 68 after they chose to bat, but the rest of the batsmen didn’t do much as they ended their 50 overs at 217 all out. Nauman Ali, the left-arm slow bowler, took 3 for 26.The Hawks made easy work of their target; Faisal Athar’s 90-ball 98 saw them home in 40.5 overs, and seven wickets remaining.In Sialkot, both Tariq Aziz and Aamer Sajjad scored unbeaten 78s to guide Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) to an eight-wicket win over Sialkot Stallions.Left-arm medium-pacer Sarfraz Ahmed took 4 for 39 as the Stallions were bowled out for 219. Opener Naeemuddin top scored with a run-a-ball 76.

Group C

Khalid Latif’s 156 went in vain in a high-scoring affair in Lahore; the Karachi Zebras put on 291 after being asked to bat by the Lahore Eagles, who chased the target with 3.3 overs left in their innings.Latif’s 156 took 150 balls, and included 14 fours and four sixes, but only three other batsmen reached double figures, as the Zebras failed to go past the 300-run mark. Wasim Naeem contributed with 56, while the next-best scores were 32 and 13. Junaid Zia took 4 for 46 off his ten overs.In reply, the top order of the Eagles failed to capitalise on their starts, but Junaid capped a fine day with the ball with an unbeaten 59 off 37. Junaid, along with Arsalan Mir, who scored 73 off 68, steered the Eagles to a five-wicket win.National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) also successfully chased a big score in Faisalabad: they overcame their target of 272 off the third ball in the final over against Pakistan Customs. Fawad Alam’s unbeaten run-a-ball 122 saw NBP home after Kamran Akmal built a foundation with his 62; the team were at a precarious 71 for 4 at one stage.Pakistan Customs scored 271, thanks to a 71-run opening stand. The openers came up with contrasting knocks: Hasnain Abbas scored 42 off 42, while Imran Qadir needed 100 balls for his 57. Asif Iqbal, the captain, chipped in with 47. Qaiser Abbas, the left-arm bowler, took 4 for 45 off his ten.

Group D

Fahad Iqbal’s unbeaten 92, supported by Kamran Sajid’s 69 not out, helped Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) complete an eight-wicket win over the Karachi Dolphins at the National Stadium. Opener Shadab Kabir made 66 for the Dolphins, who chose to bat, but two wickets apiece for four PIA bowlers ensured they were dismissed for 245 in 49 overs.In Hyderabad, the Rawalpindi Rams edged out a close one-wicket win over Sui Southern Gas Corporation (SSGC).SSGC were down to 45 for 3 after deciding to bat, but an unbeaten 90 from Mohtashim Ali, aided by Mohammad Zafar’s 51, helped them score 244 for 8. Fifteen-year-old Mohammad Aamer, who contracted dengue during Pakistan’s Under-19 World Cup campaign, was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 35 from ten overs.Another U-19 player, Umar Amin, made 51 as he and Babar Naeem put on a 120-run partnership for the first wicket during SSGC’s reply. However, the rest of the batsmen fell after making starts, and a late flurry of wickets saw them collapse from 212 for 5 to 235 for 9. However, Aamer and his U-19 team-mate Mohammad Rameez held their nerve to clinch the win with one over to spare. Sohail Khan and Adnan Malik grabbed three wickets each for the Rams.The Abbottabad Rhinos were shot out for 61 by Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) in Karachi. They were chasing 267, but fell over 200 runs short.Only the top four went past ten, and all the six bowlers employed by ZTBL picked a wicket. Earlier, Inam-ul-Haq’s 71 and Wajahatullah Wasti’s 72 guided ZTBL to 266 after they were put in by the Rhinos.

Dimitri Mascarenhas’s life has changed considerably in the couple of months since he was part of England’s one-day squad in New Zealand. He has been named Hampshire captain after Shane Warne terminated his deal, but more significantly he will be the only England representative in the Indian Premier League.His three-year deal with Jaipur came about after Warne made contact with Mascarenhas following the first round of auctions. Some hasty negotiations followed before a contract was signed, although for this season he will only be part of the IPL for two weeks in mid-May, with the possibility of returning for the final on June 1 if Jaipur make it through.In recent weeks the ECB have been trying to convince people that England players won’t be joining the IPL, a stance reiterated in some bullish comments from the chairman, Giles Clarke. However, there has been a subtle shift in attitude from some leading lights with Kevin Pietersen the most high-profile player to say that they should be given a slice of the action.Mascarenhas has yet to find out how envious some of his England team-mates are, but being a non-centrally contracted player clearly has its advantages. It allowed him to come to a deal with Hampshire which didn’t involve the ECB and he doesn’t feel his international career will be jeopardised. Future seasons of the IPL could be moved to avoid conflict and Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, has already said that international commitments will take precedence.”If you look around, all the other players can take part in the IPL and still play for their countries,” he said. “I’m not missing any one-dayers or anything. I suppose there is an element of risk, but speaking to the hierarchy – Hugh Morris, Geoff Miller and Peter Moores – they are all pretty positive about it and don’t see too much of a problem. They couldn’t guarantee me anything, obviously they can’t, but they all seemed very positive.””I did all the negotiations with Rod [Bransgrove, the Hampshire chairman] and he’s been really supportive of what I want to do. He thinks it’s a good opportunity for me, but also for Hampshire to be involved.”Mascarenhas is fairly relaxed about the whole affair, and thinks the experience of bowling to the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and facing Brett Lee will be benefit his game, even though he has little idea of what to expect when he arrives next month.”Because I got in late I literally don’t know anything about it,” he said. “All I know is the dates, I don’t know where I’m going to be. I’ll just meet up with Warney and the rest of the team when I get there. I’ll be getting some good cricket, playing with and against world-class players. I can’t see why more won’t do it in the future.”Hampshire, though, will have to do without their captain for two weeks while Mascarenhas is away. “At the time I signed I didn’t know the captaincy situation would come up, but there are a couple of guys lined up who could take over,” he said.One name suggested by Mascarenhas as a stand-in was Nic Pothas. He has spent parts of his winter with the Indian Cricket League (ICL), the unofficial event which has caused the ECB more headaches even though it hardly clashes with the domestic season. Hampshire, too, were unimpressed when Pothas took up his ICL deal, but clubs are having to find pragmatic solutions as cricket’s changing face makes an impact on English shores.

Scorecard

Hampshire’s batsmen grafted their way to within touching distance of Sussex’s 332 to close on 304 for 6 on the second day at The Rose Bowl. It may not have wowed the spectators as much as Shane Bond’s blistering burst did yesterday evening, but the day provided enough entertainment to warm the cockles of a small and hardy Southampton crowd.Michael Lumb remained unbeaten on 77 at stumps, though was dropped on 55 by Michael Yardy at first slip shortly before the close – one of a number of chances Sussex let through. It was a day for gloves and rugs in The Rose Bowl’s acutely exposed stands, certainly not one for holding a screaming slip catch or desperate pluck at short-leg.James Tomlinson, the nightwatchman, frustrated Sussex for nearly an hour and showed mostly impressive judgement, even clumping a stray half volley from Robin Martin-Jenkins for four down the ground. With him out of the way, Sussex could concentrate on making headway into the top-order and Chris Adams, the captain, turned to his banker, Mushtaq Ahmed.It took him just four overs to pick up his first of what will doubtless be another bounty haul of wickets, trapping Michael Brown in his crease for 20. Hampshire were stuttering at 61 for 3, but Mushtaq struggled to contain Hampshire, bowling into bitterly cold northerly gusts which persisted all day, and Sussex were made to toil with James Adams and John Crawley putting on the day’s most assured stand of 92. In what is his 18th season, Crawley remains a batting enigma, albeit one of county cricket’s most attractive enigmas. Against the medium-pace of Martin-Jenkins and Chris Liddle he was circumspect, even nervous. Mushtaq, though – who flummoxes almost every other Englishman – was stroked through extra cover three times with languid ease.Adams, on the other hand, relied on tucks to the leg-side and nudgety flicks off the spinner. After lunch, Martin-Jenkins found enough movement to take Crawley’s edge, the nick flying low to Adams’ right at second slip who couldn’t cling on. However, the very next ball Adams was trapped in front by a lowly grubber for a 121-ball 50 and Sussex had the breakthrough.Crawley followed in the next over, nibbling at Ragheb Aga’s awayswinger to hand him his maiden Championship wicket, and leaving Hampshire struggling on 155 for 5. Nic Pothas joined Lumb and attacked immediately, not always convincingly but his aggression shifted the balance and prompted Lumb into doing the same. It worked, too. Luke Wright, who again bowled swiftly – benefiting from the prevailing northerly from the nursery end – lacked control, offering boundary balls to both left and right hander.Lumb, who reached a slick fifty from 80 balls 30 minutes before the close, lost Pothas to Aga but was assisted to stumps by Greg Lamb as Hampshire trailed by a slender 28. As they shuffled to find warmth, the PA thanked the spectators for “braving the considerable breeze.” Worse, wetter weather is forecast tomorrow and Saturday, potentially curtailing what has bubbled into an intriguing contest.

Scorecard

It was a historic day for Bangladesh as they got their first win against an ODI team when they beat Pakistan by four wickets in Kurunegala. Salma Khatun, the Bangladesh captain, scored 53 after offspinner Tithy Sarkar restricted Pakistan to 134.After their crushing 182-run defeat to India on Friday, Bangladesh bounced back impressively to bowl out Pakistan with an over to spare. Sarkar took two wickets in two overs and Pakistan stumbled to 55 for 3 in 19 overs. She picked up two more wickets and ensured no partnership was forged as Pakistan plodded along at less than three an over. Bismah Maroof top scored with 29 and her opening partnership of 27 with Tasqeen Qadeer was the innings’ highest.Though the target was relatively modest, Bangladesh got themselves in to trouble early on, losing three wickets for 26 runs. Then Salma joined Panna Ghosh at the crease and the two added 37 together. Ghosh stayed for 51 balls, for her 14, and allowed Salma to push the chase along. Bangladesh lost two more wickets before Salma wrapped up the match with 27 balls to spare. She hit six fours in her 92-ball innings.
Scorecard
Mithali Raj followed up her unbeaten century on Friday with a half-century as India continued their winning ways at the Asia Cup with a 29-run victory over Sri Lanka in Dambulla.The Indian openers, Jaya Sharma and Karuna Jain, set the platform for the total with a 62-run partnership before both were dismissed by Shashikala Siriwardene. Raj added another 62 with Priyanka Roy to take India to 227. Suwini de Alwis, who took two wickets against Pakistan, picked up 3 for 36 while Siriwardene ended with 3 for 54.Though Sri Lanka lost two wickets – to Rumeli Dhar – early in the innings, Friday’s top scorer Dedunu Silva hit 74 off 87 balls to take them to the 100-run mark. But Sri Lanka lost their last seven wickets for 66 runs as Pujare Seema and Dhar shared six wickets between them.

Scorecard1:08

Clarke leads Australia on low-scoring day

If day three in Chelmsford produced more mixed fortunes for the Australians, the forward strides made by two of their most spinal contributors was enough to obscure other more ambiguous outcomes against an Essex side that is far from the most threatening combination in county ranks.Mitchell Starc, indifferent in his initial spells, returned to the sort of rhythm and swing that made him the player of the World Cup, as his six wickets hurried Essex from 291 for 1 late on the second evening to 414 all out on the stroke of lunch. Then the captain Michael Clarke played his most substantial innings since braving a bad back, torn hamstring and the emotional weight of Phillip Hughes’ death to compile a memorable hundred in Adelaide last December.These two performances provided a reminder of Starc’s danger and Clarke’s value, while also ensuring the pair will be feeling confident and settled entering into the first Investec Ashes Test against England in Cardiff, with wickets and runs behind them. Clarke’s crisp knock was especially timely, going some way to proving he will be capable of something more than the flashy cameos he has indulged in since returning from hamstring surgery.Michael Clarke made his first substantial score of the tour•Getty Images

Regular wickets at the other end meant that the tourists needed Clarke to stand up, on a very good Chelmsford pitch that was showing welcome signs of deterioration late on day three, as all good first-class surfaces should but few enough contrive to do. Chris Rogers, Adam Voges and Shane Watson all completed matches without major scores, while David Warner and Mitchell Marsh were unable to follow-up their first-innings success.It is fair to assume Rogers, Voges and Watson have all done just enough to maintain their spots in the Test team, leaving Shaun and Mitchell Marsh as the unfortunate men to miss out. That being said, the final day of this fixture will provide the opportunity for Watson and the younger Marsh to again match wits as bowlers, leaving the selection chairman Rod Marsh and the coach Darren Lehmann to deliberate on who best to choose.Essex’s vim in the field ensured that Clarke’s men could not skate away to an unassailable lead, meaning the final day should provide decent entertainment on a July Saturday as Tom Westley and Ravi Bopara attempt to reprise their first-innings heroics against a touring team now eager to get to Cardiff. None more so than Starc.At one point on the first evening, Starc’s figures of 11-3-26-0 were flattering, for he had barely made the batsmen play and more often challenged the reserve gloveman Peter Nevill to limit a mounting tally of byes. But a move around the wicket had him swerving through Westley and the nightwatchman Jamie Porter, and there was more the following morning.Swung around to the River End by Clarke after Bopara had taken further toll on the finger spin of Nathan Lyon, Starc zoomed through the final four wickets of the innings in the space of 20 balls at a cost of five runs. Thus did 0 for 26 become 6 for 51, a turnaround reminiscent of a tour match two years ago in Taunton, but also the sort of damage once wrought by Wasim Akram for Pakistan and Lancashire. The need for Starc to find his best with regularity during the Ashes grows with every minute team medical staff fret over the state of Ryan Harris’ right knee.Batting a second time, Australia’s batsmen looked a little hazy in focus, something reflected by Warner’s drag on to the stumps, Rogers being dropped on nought before edging behind at 32, then Voges and Watson both missing straight balls – the latter’s a full toss he would have expected to make solid contact with. Clarke’s gaze looked rather more fixed, and in the company of Marsh he ensured the avoidance of embarrassment.As the close of play drew near, Clarke appeared good for a century, only to be done in when a flatter delivery from Aron Nijjar skidded through low to disturb the stumps. Frustration passed understandably across Clarke’s face, but it was doubtless leavened by the thought that he was now tracing towards a three figure score in the matches that matter most of all.